Lies and Betrayal
by BeeJayBabe
Summary: Three orphans with special powers, being trained to be agents. a deadly enemy wanting them dead, brings back the past. When Riley loses her brothers she thinks the world has ended then she meets Kellan. but is he who he says he is?


Bianca Aspland

_Lies and Betrayal_

_I see his face above mine. It's full of joy and something else I just can't grasp. Then he bends down and gives me a kiss on the lips before running off to another room. I see a mirror across from the couch and see my face, I look older, about 17._

_Who was he? _

_Where am I?_

_What am I doing here?_

_Then my brother walks in, Rhys always knew where I was no matter what. He looked awful; I rushed to him and saw the blood coming from his stomach. He points to the kitchen and collapses. I screamed. . . _

I wake up screaming, Ronan shaking me trying to get me to calm down. I hug him starting to cry when I see Rhys in the doorway looking at me with panic in his face. I struggle to get to him, pushing Ronan off me and falling out of my bed in the process. I run to him and hug him tight.

"Oh thank god! It was only a dream, only a dream" I kept chanting that, but I knew better. Had I just prophesised my little brother's death?

"What was that? I've been trying to wake you for the last 10 minutes," Ronan nearly shouted at me and he never shouted, never.

"I was dreaming Ronan," I told him, still hugging Rhys, and from the intake of breath I heard from Ronan he knew I meant the prophetic dreams I'd been getting lately. Ever since I'd turned 13 three months ago I had been getting dreams about the future, just like when Ronan had turned 13 and started seeing ghosts everywhere. But he was 16 now and he knew that we were different from normal people and had to keep our talents hidden.

"What! What was it about? No, wait I don't want to know, we have to get moving. Ms Starr is going to kill us if we don't get to the shooting range before she does. Hurry up and get dressed Riley." He shoved my clothes at me and walked out of the room, almost dragging Rhys with him.

I got dressed quickly, running out the door still putting my top on. Ronan was waiting at the steps for me with our bags and then we were running through the streets, bumping into people and nearly tripping over each other in our haste to get to the range. The shooting range was 6 blocks from the orphanage where we lived and we had 15 minutes to get there.

After a few minutes I notice Rhys isn't next to me anymore and I yell for Ronan to stop. I look back and see Rhys struggling with another guy. Rhys flips the guy over his shoulder like we were taught in self defence and the guy lands on his back hard, but is up again just as fast and he has a gun at Rhys's head before I can blink. I scream and Ronan yells, but we are helpless as the guy pulls the trigger and shoots Rhys point blank in the head. I start running towards the guy intending to knock him out, but he just disappears. I stop stunned and look around for him, but can't see him.

I look down at my feet and collapse to my knees, looking at what remained of Rhys's head. Ronan comes up behind me and pulls me into him and we just sat there like that until the police made us move, so they could get to Rhys's body, but I wouldn't let go of his hand.

"Let him go Riley," Ronan gently pried my hand from Rhys's and pulled me away from his body. I turned into him for a hug and really started crying.

"Don't worry Riley we'll get the guy," Ronan started leading me away, towards the shooting range, all our gear in one hand and his other around my shoulders. We walked like that all the way to the shooting range and when Ms Starr saw us she came over and I thought I saw something close to worry in her face before it disappeared behind her usual stern, blank face that she was really good at.

"You're late. Where is Rhys?" She looked from Ronan to me and back again before Ronan answered her.

"He's dead," Ronan said in a dead voice that he used when he was trying to control his emotions. Ms Starr staggered as if someone had dealt a blow to her stomach. She started shaking her head and chanting something that I couldn't hear. It was heartbreaking to realize that Rhys had actually meant something to her and I wondered if I did too. After a minute or two she regained her composure and standing straight and tall she looked almost normal, still I could see the tears threatening to overflow her eyes.

"It changes nothing. You must continue training, but we will move you up a few levels. You will need the distraction. We will find who did this, I give you my word" With that she walked into her office and closed the door. Ronan and I went off to practice our mixed martial arts, kick boxing and our shooting.

And that was my life after Rhys's death. I was always at practice finding ways to be better, stronger and faster than anyone and everyone I could. I was always worried about Ronan though; he would always show up to practice late, tired and covered in bruises. One day I found him pointing a Browning 9x19mm Hi-Power at a young boy behind an alley, but when he saw me he put it away and stalked towards me.

"What?" he sounded pissed off, I didn't know whether it was at me or not, but I reacted to that anger as I normally did.

"What do you mean what? You were pointing a gun at that kids face! For gods sake Ronan what has gotten into you? You're always pissed off, you're always AWOL and when I do see you, you're covered in bruises! So you tell me what's going on," I sounded angrier than I felt but I needed answers.

'It's none of your goddamned business what I do Riley. You're not my mother." I flinched at the tone of his voice.

"It's not drugs is it? Or gangs?" I was guessing, but once I said gangs he flinched and I knew I had him and he knew it too.

"Gangs, what are you thinking?" I was shocked, Ronan of all people in a gang?

"It's not what you think Riley, they're helping me find Rhys's killer" He sounded sad.

"I don't care Ronan; Rhys wouldn't want you doing gangs just to avenge his murder."

"Whatever Riley, I'm going"

"No wait!" I grab his arm to stop him from leaving, but he turns and slaps my face, hard.

I drop my arm shocked and start backing away from him. He looks at me with horror plain on his face.

"Riley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean too" He started towards me, but I shake my head and start to run away from him. He makes a grab for me and I stumble in a hurry to get away from him.

"You're not my brother," I whisper before sprinting away from him. I didn't stop running until I got to the orphanage, in my room.

I collapse on my bed cheek stinging from where he had slapped me. It hurt more than any punch I had ever got. I hear him walking past my room and I start crying softly, something I hadn't done since Rhys had died. I cried myself to sleep, praying for a dreamless night.

_The dream starts off as it normally does. I'm in an apartment I don't recognise, with a guy I don't know hanging above me. His face, as always, is full of joy and what I think is love. This time he gives me a lingering kiss on the lips before going into the kitchen. I hear a knock on the door and instead of a delivery guy standing there I see my brother Ronan, and I feel a sense of déjà vu and seeing his head bleeding from a hole I start screaming. . . _

_And screaming._

I wake to see Ronan above me, face looking worried and the feeling of déjà vu returns. I look to the door almost expecting to see Rhys standing there, but instead I see nothing but the empty hallway.

"God Riley, did you have to scream so loud?" Ronan tried to joke, but the look in his eyes took any humour from the joke. I try to sit up and my head starts spinning so I lay back down again, feeling exhausted.

"What time is it?" I try to look for my clock, forgetting I had gotten rid of it when Rhys had died.

"It's just past two Riley, you've been asleep for only a few hours." Ronan started to get up, but I pulled him close for a hug. After the dream I had just had about him I didn't want Ronan to leave my sight.

"Be safe Ronan, please. I couldn't stand to lose you too. I couldn't handle it." My voice cracked on the last words.

"I will don't worry RieRie, I'll be fine" He used the nickname he had given me when I was 6, which means he was really worried.

"Just get some sleep and I'll wake you up for practice at 6." And with that he left me alone with my thoughts, which wasn't always a good thing to do these days. If I wasn't busy I would think back to that day when Rhys was shot. How the guy who had done it had just disappeared in plain sight. Then I would need to go punch something because of how guilty I felt.

This time though I just broke down and started crying, I cried until I was out of tears and I fell asleep, this time dreamless.

Banging on my door woke me up that morning. Ronan shouting got me out of bed, into the shower and downstairs for breakfast in record time. When I got to the table Ms Starr pulled me aside.

"Okay, what's wrong with Ronan?" She had the look of someone searching for answers so I gave her some.

"I had a dream last night and I saw Ronan dying. He woke me up and I was screaming."

"Oh" was all she said and with that she walked off.

Wondering what was up with her, I filled my bowl with nutrigrain, weetbix and milk, and I wandered over to sit with Ronan. Ronan looks up as I sit down before continuing to eat. He clearly didn't want to talk so I just sat down and started eating. All of a sudden he stops eating and stares at me. I keep on eating; Ronan would talk to me about whatever is bothering him when he was ready. Minutes go by and he finally breaks the silence.

"I am in the gangs," He wouldn't look me straight in the face, so I grabbed his chin with my hand and made him look at me.

"I know you are, I've known for a few weeks now," I watched his eyes dart around the room, looking anywhere but at me.

"What! Why didn't you say anything?" He was getting worried now, his pulse spiked, I could feel it under my hands.

"Well you aren't hurting anyone are you?" I asked, needing the answer to be no.

"No! Course I'm not hurting anyone, why would you even think that?" He looked outraged but I felt his pulse spike and felt the lie.

"Are you doing drugs?"

He didn't answer me, so I slapped him hard and walked away. My thoughts were everywhere.

_Ronan doing drugs, hurting people, Rhys dead, the killer still out there hurting other people._

It all came crashing down on me and I collapsed.

When I came too I was in the infirmary. Ronan was asleep on the chair next to me. He looked like he hadn't slept in days so I let him be. I try to sit up and find that I have an IV in my hand, as I go to pull it out a nurse walks in.

"You have to leave that in dear." She swats my hand away and looks at a monitor next to my bed.

"How long have I been here?" I try to sit up again and this time I manage to get most of the way up with the nurse's help.

"Just over a day now, you collapsed dearie. You were exhausted and your body shut down on you." She looked like she wanted to add more to it but Ms Starr walked in and the nurse turned away from me and started writing stuff down on her clipboard.

"How is my favourite trainee going today?" She looked tired, bags under her eyes and she wasn't moving as well as she should be.

"I'm awake, does that count?" I tried to sound fine but my voice cracked and I started coughing.

Ms Starr grabbed a glass of water for me and I realised how thirsty I was, and how hungry.

"Can I have some food?" I looked at the nurse. She nodded her head and went off to get me some food.

Ms Starr came up to the end of the bed and stared at me. I stared back, daring her to ask, and she did.

"Why did you collapse Riley? Why now?" She looked concerned but I heard genuine fear for me in her voice.

"I don't know, I guess it just all got to me." I sounded shaky and hated it.

"Well since you're awake you will be allowed to leave and I'm excusing you from the rest of the week."

"WHAT! NO, you can't do that to me. I have to practice." I struggled to get out of bed and failed, falling back onto the bed.

Ms Starr rushed to help me and I waved her away. I was panicking now. Training was the only reason I could go through the motions; it kept me going and now she was taking it away from me.

"I'm fine. Please let me train. What would I do with myself for 3 days?" I was nearly ready to cry.

"Riley I can't do that and have a clear conscience. You are obviously still dealing with your brother's death and this is not the way to do it."

"How would you know? I'm training so if I ever find the prick I can kill him like he killed my baby broth. . ." and with that I broke down crying.

Ronan woke up with a start and looked at me, pain plain on his face. He rushed to my side knocking the chair over, pulling me close. I hugged him to me and cried into his shoulder.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours but I finally cried myself out and lay back onto the bed.

Ronan stood up.

"I got to go somewhere but I'll be back in an hour or two. Try to get some rest RieRie." And with a kiss on the head he left me to my nightmares.

_I was lying on a bed of silk sheets, sore and tired, but I couldn't rest until he was with me. I stood up to go to the kitchen and get a drink. On the way to the kitchen I trip over a small circular pendant that's lying on the ground. I pick it up and a bright light comes out of the pendant, and suddenly I feel energized, full of life. I walk to the kitchen, a spring in my step. I stop when I see what is waiting for me._

_My brother is lying on the floor, gunshot to the head; blood and gore cover the walls and the floor. I collapse to the floor sobbing when I notice the guy who I was 'with' standing on the corner with a Beretta 9mm in his hand. I run to him sobbing, I slip on all the blood and fall at his feet._

_I look up at him and he looks at me, pain clear on his face, then he raises the gun to my head. . ._

_And I'm screaming….._

I wake up covered in sweat, Ms Starr at my side. She looked frightened.

"What? What is it? What's happened?" I started to panic.

She took a deep breath and I could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke.

"Its Ronan, Riley, he's dead, police say. . ." but I couldn't hear her after that. Ronan, my big brother, the one who kept me going, who always pushed me harder and let me eat whatever I wanted. Dead. Gone.

I started to hyperventilate, and Ms Starr looked worried. She called in a nurse who came running. The nurse took one look at me and took out a needle. She grabbed hold of my arm and put the needle in, and blackness consumed me.

I woke up in my own bed this time and everything sunk in.

After that I was robotic. I lived but took no joy in anything, I ate without tasting, and the only thing that occupied my time was training. I trained non-stop. I learnt every form of martial art form there was. I learnt about every gun ever made. I learnt how to infiltrate the highest security the government could throw at me. I could get in and out of the white house, unseen, after 2 years had passed.

Then I met him.

Kellan J Preston.

I first saw him when I was on a mission. The first thing I noticed about him was his aura; it was like mine, black with a tint of gold in it. But I dismissed it, I was on a mission and I didn't need complications. Then I saw him again on the way to training, at the mall, the grocery store and I decided it wasn't a coincidence. I decided to approach him when I next saw him.

It turns out I needn't have bothered, as he came looking for me. I found him on the steps of the orphanage one day, on the way out to go for a run. He looked up as I came out and I got my first look at him.

It was like looking danger in the face.

Everything about him radiated danger and passion, like there was a beast inside him waiting to come out and play. He had a sculpted face, with high cheekbones and soft sensual lips, which just screamed to be kissed. His eyes were a deep shade of the most enticing blue I had ever seen, surrounded by the most full, black lashes I had ever seen on a man and his hair. His hair was a dark brown and was tousled like he had just gotten out of bed. On others it would have looked ridiculous but on him, he looked like a model for Calvin Klein.

Then my eyes roamed down his body. He was wearing a pair of worn jeans, with a pair of converse and a shirt. The shirt clung to him like a second skin. You could tell he worked out regularly but it didn't show too much. He didn't overdo it like some men do. And the jeans just showed off his legs, showing how strong they were, making you wonder what he could do with them.

I realised I was staring when he stood up with the grace and ease of a well trained dancer, someone who knew they were good looking and wasn't afraid to use it.

I looked at his face again and he looked at me a smirk playing on his mouth. He put out his hand and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Kellan Preston." His voice was dark and seductive; it sent chills down my spine and they weren't from fear. I shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm Riley James." I hoped I didn't sound as breathless as I felt. "What are you doing here Mr Preston?"

"I came to see you actually." I opened my mouth to say something but he stopped me. "You see I've been watching you for awhile now, waiting for an opportunity to talk to you, but you always seem to be in a hurry. So anyway, would you like to get a drink sometime?"

I just stood there shell shocked, of all the scenarios I had played in my head, this one I hadn't even considered a possibility. I mean I had never had a guy ask me out before. Never. True I had never given a guy a chance to ask me but I wasn't the sort of girl guys went for, I think. I mean sure I guess I'm pretty but it's a girl next door kind of pretty. I have green eyes, dark red-brown hair that falls in waves down my back and I have a good figure from all my training.

But there was no way a guy this gorgeous was asking me out.

"I'm sorry is this a joke?" I asked him hoping it was.

"Why would I joke?" He said in a voice I can only describe as flirty, sexy and completely seductive.

"I don't know, I mean I'm stating the obvious here but you're gorgeous" He smiled at that. "And guys like you don't go for girls like me."

"The reason guys like me don't go for a girl like you is because we never get the opportunity." He sounded so sincere about it.

"Ok then. I guess so." I didn't know how to say no to him, so I did the only thing I could think of, I said yes.

"Great. I'll meet you here at eight." And with that he walked off down the street and it was so tempting to race after him but I didn't.

It was one o'clock so I had seven hours before I had to meet him so I went for my jog and while I was near the mall I picked up some clothes to wear. I had never been on a date with a boy before. I had never even kissed a boy in all my seventeen years. I had no idea what to do.

Eight o'clock came to quick for me.

I was dressed in jeans and a red halter top. I'd applied a little bit of makeup, and I thought I looked a nice.

I heard a knock on the orphanages door and I grabbed my worn leather jacket off the hook and answered the door.

Kellan stood there in almost exactly what he had been wearing before, but now instead of the shirt he had been wearing with the jacket he just had a black long sleeve on.

He looked good.

He looked me up and down, and when he met my eyes he had a smirk on his face. I saw the heat in his eyes and it scared me a little.

"You look gorgeous." He said it as if it was just a fact but I blushed anyway.

"You look good too." I walked down the steps and he offered me his arm. I took it and we started walking.

We had drinks at a bar he regularly went too and then we went for a walk through the park. We talked about a lot of different things and had fun. It was the best night of my life. I was so comfortable talking to this gorgeous guy I didn't even really know. I even told him he was my first date. When I told him that he wouldn't believe me but I assured him it was true.

"What is wrong with guys? You're gorgeous, funny and fun." He had said, in an outraged voice.

I joked saying maybe I wasn't that good looking and he had looked so serious I didn't say it again.

When we eventually wandered back to the orphanage he asked me if he could see me again. I told him I'd love too and he gave me his number. I got my first kiss that night. It blew my mind. He kissed me as if I was the air and he needed me to live. He backed me against the wall and kept kissing me. Eventually he pulled away and we both were breathing heavily.

"Goodnight Riley." He gave me another quick kiss and was off into the night.

That was my life for the next year and a half, Kellan, training and the orphanage. I would spend most of my nights with Kellan. Eventually I spent the night at his place. Then it turned into a few days, then a few months and then I was living with him.

We were happy and I forgot about getting revenge for my brothers, although I still trained really hard.

He told me one night that he knew who my parents were. I just sat there shocked for a few minutes. I asked him how he knew who they were and told me that he had met them when he was young. He told me how they had both had powers too. They had been called necromancers. He said that they had been evil necromancers' hell bent on destroying humanity. That they had killed his father because he was part of a circle of other necromancer's trying to stop them.

Confused I went for a walk. I was walking past a psychic's tent when I heard someone call my name. I looked around when I got a tap on the shoulder. I turn around to see the psychic, woman dressed in a business suit.

"You're in danger." She tells me in a hushed voice. She pulls me into her tent and sits me down in front of her table, which has tarot cards on it.

"What do you mean I'm in danger?" I didn't really believe all the crap about psychics and tarot but I thought I'd listen anyway. She was dealing her cards.

"The guy you're living with is not who he says he is. He is the reason for your pain."

I was listening now.

"What do you mean?"

"You should not be with him. He is unnatural, not safe to be with."

"Look, I don't believe in all this crap!" I knew it was rude but she was starting to piss me off.

"Well you should, you have more in common with me than you think." She said in a haughty voice.

"What do you mean be that?" I was curious now and a little scared.

"I knew your parents little necromancer. They were good people. Not bad necromancers but good ones, they were trying to save humanity from The Circle. Not the other way around." She said all this in a hushed voice.

I was confused now.

"How did you know them?" I was eager to know more now.

"I was their best friend. I was very sad about their deaths, and the murderers walked free. I could do nothing to avenge them." She looked sad, like talking about it had brought back memories best forgotten.

"But who killed them?" I needed to know.

She looked up at me then and said in a very chilling voice, filled with rage.

"That BOY that you are living with killed them, slaughtered them in their own home. But he just couldn't kill the three kids, sleeping in their rooms. So he waited for you guys to grow older, and now he's back." She looked furious now and I shrank away from her glare. I stood up.

"I have to go." And with that I ran out the tent and ran all the way back to the apartment.

Back at the apartment I confront Kellan.

"YOU KILLED MY PARENTS, MY BROTHERS AND YOU WERE GOING TO KILL ME!" I pushed him and he banged into the wall.

"You asshole, you've been playing me this entire time." I was furious.

"No, no listen to me. Yes I killed your parents and your brothers but I couldn't kill you. I was meant to, it was my mission too, but I did something I shouldn't have." He looked like he was ready to pass out.

"What did you do?"

"I fell in love with you." He said it, looking into my eyes, begging me to believe him, but I saw him flinch and tasted the lie.

I fell onto the couch and he came and sat beside me, hugging me to his chest. I started crying but I was mad. I push him away and stand.

"How could you kill me baby brother! He was only 10 for Christ's sake!" The anger felt good, it kept me strong.

"He needed to die, you all were meant to die, before you could turn evil, like your parents. I was doing what I had been taught Riley." He was defensive and that made me angrier.

"MY PARENTS WERE GOOD PEOPLE YOU PRICK! AND DON'T YOU SAY ANYTHING OTHERWISE." I was losing it. It was all too much. I thought I had loved him, but I was just a mission to him, another loose end to tie up.

I grabbed my Beretta from the table and pointed it at him.

"Give me one good reason not too shoot you. ONE GOOD REASON!" I was yelling and it felt good it kept the pain at bay.

"I love you Riley, don't you love me?" He pleaded with me.

"Yes, I do." I admitted and his shoulders relaxed and he came towards me, but I stopped him.

"That's why I have to do this." And then I shot him, point blank in the chest.

Shock registered on his face and he fell to the floor. Dead.

That was the last straw for me. I raced to the bedroom to pack my stuff. I was getting out of here. I realised I was in shock but it was too late to do anything but run. I ran back to the orphanage and Ms Starr welcomed me back with open arms. I began working for her again.

After that I felt nothing, I never smiled, never laughed, never cried and only ate and drank because I knew my brothers would want me to live. I lived without really living. I was an empty shell, a person with no soul, no reason to live. I spent everyday just going through the motions of life.

I was like that for months and Ms Starr asked me to see a counsellor but I refused. I didn't need anyone to tell me what was wrong with me. I knew I was depressed. I knew I needed help but the help I needed no one was willing to give me. No one was willing to pull the trigger and end my pathetic existence. It was torture living day after day knowing that everyone I had loved was dead, knowing I had killed the person who had killed them was no relief, because I had loved him to and I hated myself for it. I hated the fact that I had lived with the person who had killed my entire family.

Then one day I was doing some shopping for the orphanage when I dropped the list. I was bending down to pick it up when another person bent down and picked it up for me. I look up and see a pair of puppy-dog brown eyes staring at me.

"You dropped this." He hands me the list back, and my hand brushes his and it tingles slightly.

And so life begins again.

10


End file.
